Cep Vineyards 'Hopkins Ranch' Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, CA 2023

Cep means vine stock in French. Cep Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay are made from barrels of wine that do not make it into one of the Peay wines. All the  blending for the Peay cuvées is done blind – without knowing the amount  each potential wine will make to keep the finance guy honest – so they  choose the wine that best expresses the cuvée and the vintage. After all  the wines for the vintage are put together, Vanessa will say we have X  extra barrels and they become Cep. They are delicious and at half the  price of Peay an incredible steal. 

• Winemaker: Vanessa Wong
• Farming: Organic
• Terroir: Hopkins Ranch in Russian River Valley
• Vinification: Whole cluster pressed, Stainless steel, no malolactic. 
• Tasting Notes: Austere tropical fruits shine brightly through this wine, with kiwi and green melons accented by light floral notes, and a crisp, electric finish. 
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From October 2020 Wine Club Notes:

Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley is not *just* for Pinot Noir. Hopkins Ranch is a special little plot of wine that Nick Peay and Vanessa Wong (the married couple behind the incredible PEAY Vinyeards wines) have had their eyes on for a long time. One day, they rang up the owner of the ranch and asked if they could start sourcing some fruit from him. Since the PEAY Vineyards label is dedicated only to their high-elevation winemaking from vineyards they own, they created a new label that is dedicated to variety-specific wines from outside their Annapolis estate. CEP makes a rosé and sauvignon blanc from this Russian River Valley vineyard- where the warmer temperatures bring out a tropical and textural richness in Sauvignon Blanc that could not be replicated on their estate vineyards.

This Sauvignon Blanc is about the purity of the Russian River Valley sunshine- grapes are whole-cluster pressed (which really releases an enormous amount of phenolics and textural complexity) and vinified in stainless steel tanks to capture the clean flavors- the nose on the Hopkins is reminiscent of pomelo with green peppercorn and tarragon. The attack is intense and powerful on the front of the palate (though not overly aggressive) with great texture and a bright, clean finish. Flavors of sage and limestone linger as your mouth salivates from the bright acidity.  

This is one of those perfect late summer (or “second summer”) wines that cools you down after a long day in the sunshine. Enjoy with anything delicious and bright-  like a fall root veggie salad with goat cheese, steamed mussels or paella, or  a lemongrass chicken báhn mì.